What to Do When God is Silent in Your Life
Today, I invite you to pause and imagine a discouraged woman who has lost any sense of God’s presence in her life. God is silent in her life; meanwhile, the world around her expects her to be a spiritual leader, mentor, and example.
Here are her words:
“As for myself, Father, I have nothing to say for the darkness is so dark, the pain is so painful. Sometimes the grip of pain is so great that I can hear my own voice call out—My God, help me. When I help my Sisters draw very close to Jesus—when I teach them to love Him with a deep, devoted, personal love, I long to be able to do the same. . . . I see them love God—come so close to Him—grow daily so much like Him—and I, Father, am just alone, empty, excluded, just not wanted.”
I read these words and remember a dark season in my life—a time when the Lord seemed to speak nothing and I couldn’t feel his presence. And just what do you do when God is silent, and it feels like he’s closed the doors of heaven and gone quiet?
When God Is Silent
The above words are the words of Mother Teresa, written to her spiritual mentor in 1957.
Mother Teresa made one of the greatest marks on humanity in the twentieth century. Surprisingly, she lived most of her life with an aching sense that the Lord was not near.
What do we do when we cannot sense the presence, voice, guidance, or love of the Lord? What do we do when it seems Immanuel, God with us, has left the scene of our lives?
Mother Teresa set a fine example: We continue to faithfully serve him, love him, and obey him.
Her life bears testimony to the fact that she did not grow bitter or cold. She continued to serve the Lord with her whole heart, even when she could not sense him. The tangible sensation of the Lord’s presence and love was not with her, but she served him with relentless devotion.
If you don’t sense God’s presence today, take heart. He promises never to leave his children.
What to Do When You Don’t Sense God’s Presence
Meanwhile, there are a few things you can do. When the Lord seems silent, I start by asking myself a few questions:
1. When God is silent, I ask if I have offended him through unconfessed sin.
There are mornings when I rise to commune with God, and he seems silent.
The first plea I make is, “Search me, oh God, and show me if there is anything in my heart that offends you.”
Usually, he brings a certain attitude, misspoken word, or sin to my mind. It is specific and clear.
I remember snapping at a child, ignoring a text, or hesitating to respond to a nudge to reach out to a friend in need. When I confess my sin to God, make amends with the person I’ve sinned against (whenever possible), and turn from my sin, I often experience sweet communion with God.
2. I check my motives when God is silent.
At other times, when I struggle to connect with God, I pause to ask whether I’m seeking him simply to bask in his love, or if I’m consistently approaching him for an answer to my problems.
I’m prone to come to God with a long list of questions.
They are often godly questions about how to arrange my day, how to counsel a friend, or how to better encourage my family.
God wants to pour his wisdom out in these areas, but he also longs to simply connect with me. He wants me to come to him for the simple purpose of enjoying him.
If every interaction with my husband looks like me holding up a to-do list with all of my problems displayed in bullet points, he’s eventually going to long for me to put the list down and simply enjoy his presence.
It is the same with God.
Sometimes, I hear nothing when I come to him because all I seek are answers to my problems. There are days when God wants to speak over me with his love, but my focus on getting things accomplished closes my heart to his love.
3. I ask whether I am really entering into silence and solitude.
On the same note, it’s important to spend time in silence, listening for the voice of God.
I tend to make prayer lists and hold a monologue during times of prayer.
Sadly, I miss out on hearing what he truly wants to speak. Prayer is meant to be a two-way conversation. God wants us to connect with his heart, and we need silence for this kind of prayer.
God wants to tell me how much he loves me. When I ask God to share what is on his heart, he most often reminds me that he loves me greatly. We often expect profound answers and truths from God, when the most profound truth we will ever encounter is that he loves us.
When God Is Still Silent
Even after taking the three steps above, there will be times when we still encounter silence. For some, it’s simply a day of silence. For others, like Mother Teresa, this silence lasts for years.
In the silence, we’re called to anchor ourselves to the truth of Scripture: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Pause with me here, friend.
God’s love for us was sealed at the cross, whether we feel that love now or not.
It’s great to feel God’s love and his presence, but whether we feel it or not, he still died for us. This is where we find the anchor for our souls.
It’s great to feel God’s love and his presence, but whether we feel it or not, he still died for us. This is where we find the anchor for our souls. #encounteringGodintheordinary Click To TweetMay we stand on this truth in the times when God is silent.
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